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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pit — in a race
  4. row — to paddle
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. ground — the earth
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. ground — crushed
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pit — a hole
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. ground — a position
  19. row — a line
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stick — a piece of wood

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com